Cemoro Lawang is the village perched on the north-eastern rim of the Tengger caldera, and for most visitors it is the gateway to Bromo. It is a small place, with a single main street lined with guesthouses, warungs and shops selling warm hats and gloves, and the houses cling to the edge of the cliff, looking down into the Sea of Sand. At dawn, the village comes alive with jeeps and motorbikes heading for the viewpoints, and by mid-morning it is quiet again, as visitors return to bed or move on.
The classic view of Bromo is from the viewpoint at Penanjakan, a peak on the rim a few kilometres from the village, where crowds gather before dawn to watch the sun rise over the caldera. As the light grows, the cones of Bromo, Batok and Semeru emerge from the mist, and the colours change from purple to pink to gold. It is one of the most famous sunrises in Indonesia, and on a clear morning it lives up to its reputation, though the crowds can be large and the jostling for position intense. Quieter viewpoints along the rim offer similar views with fewer people.
The village is home to Tengger people, and the farms around it grow vegetables on terraced slopes so steep it seems impossible to work them. Life here is hard, with cold nights and frequent fog, and tourism has become an important source of income. The local food is simple: rice, vegetables, fried tempeh, and hot sweet tea or coffee, which tastes wonderful in the cold morning air.
The road from Cemoro Lawang down to Probolinggo, on the north coast of Java, is a long, steep descent through farmland and forest, with hairpin bends and sweeping curves. Trucks and buses share the asphalt, and your brakes will be warm by the bottom. Pasuruan, about thirty kilometres away, and Probolinggo are the nearest large towns with full services, though there is fuel in the villages on the way. The weather at Cemoro Lawang is cool to cold, and fog can roll in at any time, so pack waterproofs and a warm layer, and aim to arrive in daylight.